First public hospital pharmacy ePrescription pilot in Australia
HSS is proud to support a national first in medication safety and a step toward a greater digital workflow.
A pilot is now underway at Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) to trial QR-coded electronic prescriptions (eScripts) for inpatient discharges where medications are supplied by the hospital pharmacy.
The pilot, featured on Seven news this week, is the first time an Australian public hospital has applied this technology in the inpatient setting and it positions WA Health at the forefront of digital prescribing within hospitals.
Building on WA’s digital prescribing foundation
Our WA Health Excellence Award winning team has supported WA’s digital prescribing journey from the beginning. In 2022, we partnered with RPH to implement electronic prescribing using eMedication (eMed), HSS’ in-house prescribing solution built and managed to meet the needs of WA Health. This enabled RPH to become the first public hospital in Australia to issue electronic prescriptions for dispensing at community pharmacies.
HSS is now leading the next stage in digital prescribing innovation. This pilot introduces eScripts into inpatient discharges and adapts digital prescription practices already used in community pharmacy to suit hospital discharge workflows. The updated process is helping to streamline processes, reduce risk, and support safer and more efficient patient discharges.
HSS enhanced the eMed solution to make it smarter and more integrated, adding clinical decision support to assist prescribers. The pilot is part of the ADHA Program managed by HSS Program Delivery, implemented in partnership with the Australian Digital Health Agency, with support from HSS ICT Applications and the i.Pharmacy vendor.
In addition to supporting the pilot, the HSS PMM team led the upgrade to i.Pharmacy version 12, ensuring the system was ready to deliver the new ePresciption functionality. Their ownership of the upgrade and readiness activities played a vital role in enabling the digital workflow in pharmacy. The RPH project team worked closely with HSS throughout the rollout to help align the solution with day-to-day clinical practice.
Project sponsor Dr Mohan Raghavan, Deputy Director Clinical Services at RPH, praised the joint effort and early outcomes. He said, “The ePrescriptions pilot at RPH has been a great initiative and shows the innovation and commitment of the teams at HSS and RPH. The medical staff have embraced the use of the innovative system to provide an efficient and safe workflow for discharge medications. It has been a collaborative effort and has been a pleasure to work with the project team.”
Early success and clinician feedback
The pilot commenced at Royal Perth Hospital in early June 2025 and is running for eight weeks across ten wards. By the end of the second week, the pilot had already received positive feedback and shown strong uptake across clinical teams. Early success across participating wards meant the rollout could progress ahead of schedule, with all pilot wards now live.
The updated workflow introduces a Discharge Dispensing Plan (DDP). This enables pharmacy staff to scan QR-coded eScripts directly into the i.Pharmacy system, reducing manual steps and streamlining turnaround in dispensing medications.
Early signs of success have been observed across multiple roles. Prescribers are reporting reduced admin and clearer processes, pharmacists are experiencing improved visibility and fewer manual interventions, and nurses are gaining faster access to discharge medications, all supporting better patient flow.
Clinicians on pilot wards have responded positively to the change. Dr Trong Nguyen, a Resident Medical Officer in General Surgery, described the new approach as, “Life changing. Efficient and much needed. An innovation at its finest.”
A foundation for future rollout
This pilot is a clear example of HSS’s value “We make a difference together” in action. In partnership with Health Service Providers, clinical teams and vendors, we’re delivering practical digital solutions that support safer, more efficient patient care.
Governance has been provided by a Project Control Group with representatives from all WA Health Service Providers. The outcomes from this work will inform future statewide implementation of QR coded eScripts for inpatient discharge medications supplied by hospital pharmacies.